This invention relates to a method for producing a coated organic agent produced by coating core powders with powders of a coating agent. More particularly, it relates to a method for producing a coated organic agent that may be used as food additives, feed additives or so-called health foods.
The coated organic agents have been used in many applications in which the coating performance of these agents is of utmost importance. For example, when using the coated organic agent of organic acids or salts of organic acids in processed meat or fish paste, the properties of storage stability of the processed meat or fish paste may be improved by adjusting the pH of the products. However, when the organic acids and/or salts of organic acids are added directly, the physical properties of the products are impaired. When the organic acids or salts thereof are coated, it becomes possible to adjust the pH after heating the products. The organic acids liable to decomposition or oxidation on contact with water, such as L-ascorbic acid, may be improved in storage properties when coated and thus shut off from contact with air or moisture. In addition, when the organic acids and/or salts of the organic acids have foreign odor or otherwise affect the flavor of food products, coating gives rise to masking effects. When vitamins are directly used as additives for pisciculture, it may occur that thiamine (vitamin B ) is decomposed by thiaminase contained in fish, thus causing mortality of the fish in the farm due to thiamine deficiency. With other vitamins, the effect of the vitamin may be lost on account of environmental factors, such as moisture, ambient light, heat or pH. Also, when the vitamins are added to foods, it may occur that the odor and taste peculiar to the vitamins affect the taste or flavor of the foods. In these cases, the vitamins may be coated for masking effects When amino acids are directly used as feed additives for ruminating animals, it may occur that the amino acids be decomposed by the action of microorganisms in the first stomach or rumen of the animals.
In other applications of the amino acids, it may occur that the effect of amino acids may be lost on account of environmental factors, such as moisture, ambient light, heat or pH. Also, when the amino acids are added to foods, the taste or flavor of the foods may be affected by the odor or taste proper to the amino acids, as in the case of the vitamins. In order to prevent this, the amino acids may be coated for masking, effects.
There has been much research in developing the methods for producing the coated organic agents The methods employed at present may be classified into the following two categories. According to the first method, an organic substance is suspended in melted hardened oil or wax and the resulting suspension is sprayed by a sprayer or a rotary disk so as to be cooled and solidified to prepare a coated product. More concretely, for coating organic acids and/or salts of organic acids by this method, there are known a method for producing a coated organic acid as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 32217/1970 and a method for producing a coated organic acid as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 31476/1978. As the prior art product in which water-soluble vitamins are coated by this method, there are known a raw feed composition for pisciculture as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 13192/1975 and a feed for pisciculture as described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 205461/1983. As the prior art product in which amino acids are coated by this method, there are known a feed additive through the first stomach or rumen of ruminating animals as described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 154956/1981, and a feed additive composition for ruminating animals, as described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 141242/1985. According to the second method, known as the fluidized layer process, an organic substance is floated under the force of a fluid flow from the lower side and the melted coating agent such as hardened oil or wax is sprayed from the upper side for coating the organic substance. For example, as a prior art method for coating water-soluble vitamins, there is known a method for coating a vitamin particulate material as described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 52221/1975 and, as a prior art product in which amino acids are coated by this method, there is known a particulate material for feed additives as described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 37054/1986.
However, sufficient coating cannot be accomplished in any of the above methods such that sufficient performance of the coated agents cannot be exhibited for the above-described applications.
In addition, because of the lower contents of the core organic substances, an increased amount of the coating organic agents needs to be used for practical applications, resulting in elevated manufacture costs.
Also, the coating agents need to be melted and sprayed or a fluidized layer needs to be formed with considerable energy consumption, while there are required troublesome operation and maintenance for such coating systems.